Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci came into ONE Fight Night 10 on a mission to land another spectacular submission – and he did just that.
On May 5, the reigning ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion successfully defended his gold, taking out Yemeni star Osamah Almarwai with a masterful rear-naked choke.
Musumeci was in full control from the opening bell at 1stBank Center in Colorado.
The American BJJ prodigy relentlessly attacked his foe with a chain of heel hook attempts before moving to Almarwai’s back and sinking in the choke with just under two minutes remaining.
With the dominant win, he earned a well-deserved US$50,000 performance bonus and continued his reign atop the division. And according to “Darth Rigatoni,” the plan was to stay on the offensive, never allowing his opponent a single moment to mount his own attacks.
He said afterward:
“Yeah, like every second I’m in a match, I’m attacking a submission to finish the match. There’s not one second in this match I wasn’t attacking to finish. So I just kept attacking, attacking, attacking. Kind of like striking where you’re looking for the knockout punch, I’m just attacking finishes every second, and then I finally got the finish in the end.”
While Musumeci often appears invincible inside the Circle, he’s admitted to dealing with inner struggles throughout much of his life.
And just moments after Friday’s victory, the 26-year-old told fans that he’d gone through a bout of depression leading up to his matchup with Almarwai.
Despite that setback, the titleholder was able to push through and properly prepare for his world-class challenger – leaning on his enduring faith and dedication to intense training:
“Yeah, the only thing I will say is that if I get through these times everyone can, you know? You just have to be patient, and it’s very hard. I just felt so blessed that I’m here, and I got emotional at the end of the match because I just reflected on the last two months. It was just a mix of me training, praying, training, and just asking God to help me. And now, I’m back.”
‘Very Special’ – Musumeci Hyped To See Growth Of ONE In U.S.
Mikey Musumeci’s defense of his ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title served as a co-main event at ONE’s groundbreaking debut on U.S. soil – perhaps the biggest, most important event in the organization’s history
The New Jersey native was proud to see himself and other athletes on the card get such a positive reception from the American crowd.
And going forward, he’s confident that ONE – with its wide variety of combat sports and elite competitors from around the globe – will continue to captivate audiences in the West:
“I think that ONE Championship is the future and the current, and I think that American fans are gonna love this, and they’re gonna appreciate the martial arts all across the disciplines.
“I think that’s what’s so special about ONE, and again, bringing the whole world together. It isn’t just the U.S. It’s the whole world. And traveling the world with jiu-jitsu. Meeting so many different people, different religions, different cultures. Because we shared jiu-jitsu, it connected us.”
Ultimately, that is how Musumeci views martial arts – a tool to connect athletes and fans from various backgrounds within a shared experience.
And in that regard, he believes ONE is leading the way.
“Darth Rigatoni” added:
“I feel like ONE is connecting the whole world, and you could feel that when you’re watching. From all the different countries, there are people on these cards. It’s just a very special event.”
